The present disclosure relates to a fluorescence navigation surgery system for performing fluorescence navigation surgery as surgery, an image processing apparatus used therefor, an image processing method, an information processing program, and a fluorescence observation system.
In the past, a dissection of a sentinel lymph node that is suspected to be a metastasis has been performed in ablative surgery of a breast cancer. When the dissection of a sentinel lymph node that is not easily identified by visual inspection is performed, the sentinel lymph node is identified by using indocyanine green (ICG) being a fluorescent reagent.
Examples of a method of identifying a sentinel lymph node using ICG include a method of applying excitation light in a near infrared wavelength band to an observation area and capturing an image of fluorescence emitted from the ICG in a near infrared wavelength band to observe the image (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-299676).
Examples of a commercialized system for observing an image of fluorescence emitted from an ICG reagent for identifying a sentinel lymph node include pde-neo (manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., see Japanese Patent No. 4745059), HyperEye Medical System (manufactured by MIZUHO Co., Ltd.), and mini-FLARE (Beth Israel hospital, see Annals of Surgical Oncology 2009 October; 16(10): 2943-2952, the Internet <URL:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2772055/>).
The HyperEye Medical System and the mini-FLARE have functions such as superimposing a fluorescence observation image on a visible light observation image captured by a built-in video camera for visible light image observation to display the superimposed image. In order to perform the superimposition of the images appropriately, for example, in the mini-FLARE system, the video camera for visible light image observation and a video camera for fluorescence image observation are configured to share the same zoom lens used for imaging so that the field of view of both images is the same, and to include a respective imaging device having the same number of pixels.
Moreover, with progress in cancer gene research and reagent research in recent years, it is becoming possible to selectively stain cancer cells (see, for example, research by Hisataka Kobayashi, Nature Medicine 15, 104-109 (2009)). For example, a fluorescent reagent that causes cancer cells to glow only by spraying has been developed (see the press release “fluorescent reagent that causes cancer cells to glow only by spraying has been developed,” [online], Nov. 24, 2011, Japan Science and Technology Agency [searched on Mar. 18, 2013], the Internet <URL:http://www.jst.go.jp/pr/announce/20111124-2/index.html>).
Moreover, in the past, measures against a medical malpractice suit by, during surgery, capturing an image of the surgery with a video camera and storing the image, in medical practice, have been considered. Then, an image of a surgical field with a high definition (HD) is obtained to capture an image of the surgical technique, and images of a surgical table and the periphery of the surgical table (with a standard definition (SD) or HD) are obtained to capture an image of the whole of the surgery (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-346552).